SonicStar Fox: Crossroads
by Rattler20200
Summary: StarFox Sonic Xover. A mysterious artifact sends Krystal to Earth. There, she finds a connection to Corneria, in the form of a two tailed fox. first story
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

First Contact

"Alright, Krystal. Let's see whets out there," Fox's voice came over the com channel. She banked her Arwing, and passed right over Fox's cockpit.

"Gees, Krystal! What was that!" he exclaimed. Krystal smiled.

"Falco suggested that I surprise you," she said, looking over at Fox's fighter.

"Remind me to suggest that we have fricasseed bird sometime," Fox said. Something caught her attention.

"Hold up Fox," she said, "I'm picking something up."

The two Arwings banked, and discovered a large object.

"It looks almost like an orbital gate," Fox said after a few minutes.

"Must have some sort of stealth technology, otherwise we would have detected it sooner," Krystal said.

Suddenly the gate lit up, and a bolt of energy slammed into her Arwing. Energy started swirling around the inside of the giant ring, and a beam latched onto Krystal's ship.

"I'm losing power!" she said, fighting the controls.

"Hang on Krystal!" Fox said, banking his Arwing. He was too late. Krystal's Arwing disappeared as it passed through the energy field.

It was a beautiful day on Angel Island. Sonic was off and running, as usual, so Tails took the opportunity to work on the _Tornado_.

"Hey Tails!"

Tails banged his head on the engine cover. He backed away from the _Tornado_, rubbing his head with his hand. He saw a pink hedgehog smiling at him.

"Amy, could you please _not _do that while I'm working," he said.

"Any idea where Sonic went?" she asked, getting strait to the point. Tails sighed. Before he could say anything, he heard the sound of an aircraft crashing.

"What was that?" Amy asked.

"I don't know what that was, but I'm gonna check it out," he said, then bolted out the door.

"Hey! Wait up Tails!" Amy yelled as she followed the fox out the door.

Krystal climbed out of the cockpit, and landed hard on solid ground. She looked around, taking note of her surroundings. From the looks of this place, she had crash landed in the middle of some ruins. She sighed, grabbed some survival gear, a blaster, some rations, and her staff, then set out to explore the ruins.

The Mystic Ruins was the site of a great Echidna civilization centuries ago. Tails tried to imagine how it would have looked back then. Not all of the ruins have been explored, but he knew that the site was huge. Amy whistled. She was always amazed at the size of the structures, despite the fact that she lives in the city.

After several minutes of wandering around, the pair came across an unusual aircraft.

"What's that?" Amy asked. Tails shrugged, then crept closer. It looked like some sort of fighter, but it was not a G.U.N. design. The most important detail that Tails noticed were some markings on the side, in English.

"Star Fox?" he said to himself quietly. Not quiet enough, because Amy heard and came to look.

"Who's Star Fox?" she asked. Tails rolled his eyes.

Krystal crouched behind a low wall. She was on her way back to her Arwing when she saw two figures standing near it. She reached out with her mind to sense their intentions, and only got curiosity from them.

Suddenly, they were ambushed by several robots. Ignoring the blaster on her hip, she pulled out her staff and pushed a button. It extended to its full length. She took a deep breath, rolled out from behind the wall, and cut loose with a devastating energy barrage. Two of the robots broke off to deal with this new threat, only to be bashed by a massive red and yellow hammer.

The pink hedgehog had somehow pulled a large hammer and was swinging it all over the place. The yellow fox was equally as busy, kicking and jumping. Krystal jumped into the melee, swinging her staff.

After several minutes, the robots were reduced to little more than scrap metal. Krystal pushed a button on her staff, and it returned to its compact form.

"Thank you for helping us," the pink hedgehog said, surprisingly, in Cornerian. She got a good look at the yellow fox, and noticed that he had two tails.

"I'm Amy Rose," the pink hedgehog said.

"And I'm Miles Prower, but you can call me Tails," the fox said after a moment.

"My name's Krystal," she introduced herself.

There were storm clouds on the horizon, and the fox named "Tails" noticed them.

"Let's get to my workshop before it starts raining," he said, leading the way.

The trio got to Tails' workshop just as a rainstorm started.

"Make yourselves at home," Tails said, closing the door. Krystal looked around and smiled. Tails finally got a good look at their new friend. She had blue fur that sort of matched her custom flight suit. There were also a couple scrunchies on her tail. He wondered how good she was as a pilot.

"Yo Tails! What took ya?"

Tails turned towards the source of the voice, and saw a blue hedgehog leaning against the wall. Amy ran over to the blue hedgehog and wrapped her arms around him.

"Oh Sonic! Its good to see you again!" Amy said. Tails always liked watching Sonic get himself out of these things.

"Uh, Amy…can't breath…" Sonic gasped. Amy let him go. After a few minutes, Sonic noticed the blue vixen standing by the door.

"Who's our new friend?" he asked.

"I'm Krystal, and I am a member of the Star Fox team," she introduced herself, "And you are…"

"What you see is what you get. Just a guy who loves adventure. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog."

Fox McCloud was pacing. It had been two hours since Krystal's Arwing disappeared through the gate. He looked out through the window at the large ring. The newly commissioned _Great Fox II_ had taken position near the gate shortly after it happened. Blue energy continued to swirl around the inside like a whirlpool.

"Fox!"

He turned to see Slippy bounding in.

"You got something Slippy?" he asked.

Slippy held up a disk.

"I did a little digging, and found this," he said, inserting the disk into a nearby console. The screen lit up, revealing a Cornerian Explorer-class ship and the gate.

"I wasn't able to get a lot, but what I was able to get is interesting," Slippy explained. Fox looked over at his old friend Peppy, who was still asleep in a chair.

"How old is this?" he asked, turning back to the screen.

"At least fifty years old," Slippy told him, "And from what I read, they called it a 'hypergate'."

"Any idea who built it?"

"I cross-referenced the markings on the gate, and found a match."

"Well, spit it out."

"The markings on the gate match those that you found in Krazoa Palace."

Fox's eyes went wide. The Krazoa, an ancient race and guardian spirits of Sauria, built the hypergate.

"ROB, get me everything you've got on Krazoan technology," he said, turning to the robot.

"Affirmative," ROB said, getting busy following the order. Just as ROB started working a console, a very dirty Avian walked through the door.

"Next time you want someone to chase down a hitch hiking tribble, get the robot to do it," Falco grumbled, holding up a specimen container. Inside was a small puffball purring contently to itself.

"Be sure not to feed that thing, otherwise we'll be knee deep in tribbles in no time," Fox said. Falco just glared at the vulpine. Fox turned his attention back to Slippy.

"You said a Cornerian ship found it fifty years ago. What happened?"

Slippy turned back to his console and brought up a report.

"It says that the _Endar Spire_, the Explorer-class ship that found the gate, disappeared several hours after…" his voice trailed off.

"Several hours after what, getting a wax job!?" Falco exclaimed sarcastically. Slippy ignored him and turned to face Fox.

"What is it Slippy?" Fox asked.

"Several hours after activating the gate. There was no trace of the _Spire_. It was as if she just vanished," Slippy said slowly.

"Who was the captain of the _Spire_? Fox asked.

Slippy scanned through the crew manifest of the _Endar Spire_, then brought up an image of a beautiful young vixen.

"Captain Alexa Prower."

Krystal couldn't sleep. She decided to get some fresh air after about an hour of just lying on the couch. The sky was clear. She looked up at the countless stars and thought of home. One of the few memories of Cerenia she had was looking up into the night sky and just watching the stars.

"Couldn't sleep huh."

Krystal turned to see Sonic come out the door. She nodded and motioned for him to join her.

"At least its not raining anymore, but I still couldn't get any sleep," Sonic said.

She could tell that there was more to the blue hedgehog than meets the eye.

"So, I hear you're a hero," Krystal said, looking down at the shorter hedgehog.

"Yea, well, what can I say?" Sonic said playfully. He then told her the whole story. Of how he first met Tails, his battles with Dr. Eggman, and the battle to save the Earth on Space Colony ARK.

After he finished, Krystal told him about the battle on Sauria, how she first met Fox McCloud, and the war with the Aparoids.

"There is one thing that's been bothering me," Sonic finally said after several minutes.

"How I came to be here?" Krystal asked, smiling. Sonic nodded, then looked up at the stars. Before she could try to explain, she sensed something in the workshop. Without saying anything, she turned and ran for the door.

Tails was dreaming. He found himself on the bridge of a large spaceship. The strange thing was that it was as if he was an observer. Crewmembers scrambled around.

"Captain, main power's failing!"

Tails couldn't see who spoke. His attention was fixed on a beautiful female fox wearing a uniform. He tried to say something, but no sound came from his mouth. She turned, and he looked into her eyes.

"Reroute auxiliary power!" she ordered.

"No effect, Captain!"

Tails ran over to a view port. Outside, he saw a large, round object with swirling energy on the inside. He turned to face the captain.

"We're being pulled in!"

The captain ran over to a console. Tails ran over to join her. He saw her trying to use a communications system.

"This is Captain Alexa Prower to all hands, abandon ship! Repeat, abandon ship!"

Suddenly, a console exploded nearby, sending crewmembers flying. She turned, then yelled for the officers to get out. It was too late. The ship was already being sucked into the swirling vortex, and she knew it. She turned back to the console.

"This is the _Endar Spire_ to any Cornerian ship, we're losing power and need immediate help!"

The console exploded, throwing both Tails and the captain backwards. He screamed. His eyes flew open, and looked straight into Krystal's eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Revelations

Krystal held Tails as he shook.

"You ok little buddy?" Sonic asked. Tails just nodded. Just then, Amy busted into the room, Piko Piko hammer ready.

"Where is it!" she yelled, then noticed Krystal holding Tails. Amy relaxed.

"What happened?" Amy asked, concerned. Krystal looked down into Tails' eyes.

"Bad dream?" she asked. He nodded. She looked over at the two hedgehogs.

"Maybe you should go," she suggested. Sonic shrugged, and left the room. For a moment, Amy didn't know what to do. She finally decided to follow Sonic out the door.

"You want to talk about it?" Krystal asked, looking into his eyes. Tails looked right back into her eyes.

"Ok," he said quietly. He then told her about the dream. When he got to the part about the ring, Krystal stopped him.

"A ring?" she asked.

He nodded.

"With energy swirling like a whirlpool?"

He nodded again.

Krystal thought that it was too much to be a coincidence.

Sonic was pacing. Amy rested her head on her hands, watching the blue hedgehog.

"What is it, Sonic?" she asked.

"I've never seen Tails so shaken up," Sonic said, shaking his head. For as long as he knew the young fox, Sonic had never seen Tails react like he did, even through all the battles with Dr. Eggman. Amy sat up.

"I'm sure Tails will be ok," she said. Sonic smiled, but he still couldn't get it out of his mind. He also couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen.

Silently, they approached the backwater world. They would have cared less about this world, except for the energy spike they detected. An energy signature that hadn't been seen for thousands of years. Krazoan technology had been used.

Like a predator stalking its prey, they crept closer. Their ship built for only one purpose, war. Perhaps the Krazoa had returned. If so, then the Krazoa would fall before the might of the Metarex.

Fox looked over the data sent by the probe. On the other side was another gate. But Fox was more interested in the planet. Oxygen atmosphere, gravity comparable to Corneria, and inhabited. Besides the single natural satellite orbiting the planet, there was a large space station.

"I just hope Krystal's ok," he said to himself. ROB's search on Krazoan technology brought up nothing. Fox leaned back in his chair. Peppy walked over and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure Krystal's alright," he said.

Fox looked up into the eyes of his old friend. Before he could say anything, the screen went black. Red letters came up in the middle.

Telemetry Lost 

"What the?" Fox leaned forward.

"What happened?" Peppy asked.

"The probe's been destroyed," Fox said. The data from just before the probe was destroyed showed an alien ship, unlike any he'd ever seen.

"That doesn't look friendly," Peppy said to himself.

"I'm going through the gate," Fox said. Peppy looked at him, confused.

"I might be able to locate Krystal's Arwing from the other side," he told him, then got up and bolted for the door.

The Arwings were lined up, facing the airlock. Fox jumped into the closest Arwing and sealed the cockpit. After running through the checklist, he powered up the engines, opened the airlock, and shot through the mag barrier. He banked his Arwing to line up with the gate. Without hesitating, he sent the fighter through the gate.

Tails was in the hanger. Krystal found him working on an aircraft. She guessed that it was the _Tornado_ that Tails told her about. He looked up from what he was doing.

"It helps," he said.

"This is the _Tornado_?" she asked.

"Yea, I made it myself," Tails patted the wing. Just then, Sonic came in.

"Hey Tails, your not gonna believe what I found out in the jungle!" he exclaimed.

"What?" Tails asked, forgetting how shook up he was.

"Looks like some wreckage," Sonic told him. Krystal was curious about what he found as well. Before she could say anything, her commlink came to life with a familiar voice.

"Krystal, this is Fox. Please respond."

"It's good to hear your voice Fox," Krystal said into the wrist comp. Tails whistled. He was amazed at how advanced Krystal's equipment was.

"I got your location. I'll be down in a couple minutes," Fox said over the channel.

"See you soon," Krystal signed off, then motioned for Sonic and Tails to join her.

Outside, Krystal kept looking up into the sky.

"There!" she said, pointing. Tails saw an aircraft that looked just like Krystal's. It did a quick roll, then landed. The canopy opened, and a tall fox jumped out of the cockpit. Just as the new arrival was about to speak, Amy came barging out of the workshop, Piko Piko hammer in hand.

"Where is it!" she challenged. The fox blinked, jaw on the ground. Krystal laughed.

"Amy, calm down!" Sonic said. The pink hedgehog blinked then relaxed.

"So, who's our new friend?" Tails asked Krystal. She rolled her eyes. The tall fox regained his composure.

"I'm Fox McCloud, leader of the Star Fox team," he introduced himself.

"I'm Sonic the Hedgehog," Sonic told him. Amy stepped closer.

"My name's Amy, nice to meet you."

"And I'm Miles Prower, but you can call me 'Tails'," Tails said, smiling. Fox blinked.

"What is it Fox?" Krystal asked. Fox looked at Tails and asked if he had a computer. Tails nodded, and led the way.

"You may have kept me from claiming that fighter, but it will be mine!"

Dr. Eggman starred at the screen, observing the group and the newly arrived fox. The technology involved with these fighters was more advanced than anything on Earth, and Eggman wanted access to it. He stroked his bushy mustache, a habit he acquired while he thought of plots to conquer the world.

"Perhaps I shouldn't waste my time trying to get that damaged fighter, especially when there is one in better condition to… eh?" Eggman noticed something on one of the monitors. Something was approaching Earth. When he had taken over Space Colony ARK, he installed new sensors to detect incoming ships. These sensors were now sending information from space down to his base, and they had some interesting info about the new object. It was a massive ship, bristling with weapons. He decided to study the information, just in case he had to send the Egg Fleet to deal with it.

By Cornerian standards, Tails' computer was primitive. Fox was able to hook up his wrist comp to it though.

"After you disappeared, we determined that the Krazoa had built the gate," he said.

"Who are the Krazoa?" Tails asked, clearly confused. Sonic and Amy both had blank looks on their faces.

"The Krazoa are the guardian spirits of Sauria," Krystal explained, then looked back at the screen.

"Slippy found some info on the gate, including a crew manifest for the ship that found it," Fox said. He brought up a picture of a beautiful female fox. Information was displayed on the side.

"That's her!" Tails yelled, pointing at the screen, "That's the girl in my dream!"

Fox decided to fill them in on who she was.

"Then your gonna love this, Tails. Her name is, and hold your comments till I'm done, Alexa Prower. She was captain of a Cornerian Explorer-class ship called the _Endar Spire_. Before receiving command of the _Spire_, she was a fighter pilot. She earned the callsign 'Tails' from her ability to stay behind an enemy fighter, no matter how they moved to evade."

Tails' eyes widened. Sonic's jaw dropped.

"Not only does she have your last name, but your nickname too!" Amy said. Fox turned to Krystal. There was something that was bothering him, and she knew it.

"Krystal, there's an alien ship approaching this planet. I think it's because of the gate," he told her.

"If they're not friendly, then we need to repair Krystal's fighter," Tails said.

The Metarex ship entered orbit. They detected what appeared to be wreckage on an island. They sent two warriors to investigate, while they scanned the defensive capabilities of this world.

"I almost forgot!" Sonic said as the group stood around Krystal's damaged Arwing. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the blue hedgehog.

"Oh yea, you said that you found something," Tails said, popping up out of the cockpit.

"What did you find?" Fox asked.

"Some wreckage, not too far from here," Sonic told them.

"Maybe we should investigate," Krystal suggested. Tails disappeared back inside the cockpit for a minute, then popped out again.

"Found the problem, no power," Tails said. Fox nodded.

"Tails, Krystal, you two go with Sonic. Amy and I will work on getting the Arwing powered up," Fox said.

"Sounds like a plan. Lets go," Sonic said with a smile.

There was nothing of value in this wreak. No gems or anything. World renowned treasure hunter Rouge the Bat sighed. She had hoped to find something here, but there was nothing. Her sensitive ears picked up movement outside. She poked her head outside to see what it was. There were two robots, unlike anything she had ever seen.

"Well, those certainly aren't Eggman's robots," she said to herself.

Something blue stepped out from the bushes. It was Sonic, and he wasn't alone. Tails and a tall, blue fox was with him.

"Wonder who she is," Rouge said with a smile.

Suddenly, the robots turned, and opened fire on the new arrivals. Crimson beams of energy lanced out from the robot's arms, and missed. Tails took to the air, propelled by his spinning tails, while Sonic dashed out of the way. The blue vixen dove for cover, drew a weapon, and opened fire. Sapphire bolts of energy leapt form the gun, and speared one of the robots. It exploded, and the other one ran for the wreckage. Rouge kicked it, causing it to stagger back. A blue blur slammed into the robot, destroying it.

"What was that all about?" Sonic asked, sliding to a stop.

"Long time no see," Rouge said, stepping out into the clearing.

"What are you doing here, Rouge?" Tails asked as he touched down.

"What else, looking for jewels of course," Rouge said nonchalant, "Who's your girlfriend?"

Tails narrowed his eyes, glaring at the bat.

"My name's Krystal, and…"

"Nice name," Rouge cut her off.

"You already explored the wreckage?" Sonic asked.

"Yea, there's nothing there," Rouge said, disgusted.

"Maybe not for you," Krystal said, hands on hips.

"Well, there was some sort of safe that I couldn't get into," Rouge mentioned. Krystal looked over at Tails, then back at the bat.

"Can you show us?" she asked.

"Whatever, darling. This way," Rouge entered the wreak, followed by Sonic, Krystal, and a very steamed Tails.

"This is hopeless!" Fox exclaimed, throwing up his hands. Amy didn't know anything about aircraft, so she just sat on the wing.

"I've tried everything, but nothing works," he complained.

"Maybe we should wait for Tails, I'm sure he'll be able to figure it out," Amy suggested. Fox looked over at the pink hedgehog. He sighed, then jumped out of the cockpit. As far as he could tell, there was no way this Arwing would be able to leave the ground.

"There's just not enough power left to operate a toaster," Fox said as he leaned against the fuselage.

"Maybe we could use a Chaos Emerald to jump start this thing," Amy said.

"What's a Chaos Emerald?"

"It's a powerful gem, actually, there are seven of them."

"And these emeralds can supply power for an Arwing?"

"I don't know. But if there is a way, Tails will be able to find it."

Fox thought about this when his wrist comp chirped.

"Fox here," he said.

"This is Krystal, we've entered the wreak. We have also been attacked by two robots, no idea where they're from," Krystal's voice came over the channel. Amy and Fox looked at each other.

"Let me know if anything changes. Fox out," Fox signed off. He drew his blaster, checked the charge, and holstered it again.

"You need a weapon?" Fox asked. Amy just extended her arm, and a large, red and yellow hammer appeared in her hand.

"I got all the weapon I need," she said with a smile.

Tails picked his way through the wreckage. Rouge casually led the way, while Sonic and Krystal kept an eye out for trouble. They found a pair of doors that had been forced open.

"The safe is in a room just off this main one," Rouge said, pointing to another set of doors.

"This looks like the bridge," Krystal said, then saw a plaque on the wall.

ENDAR SPIRE 

**EXPLORER-CLASS**

"Tails, take a look at this," Krystal called out. Tails ran over to see what was going on.

"This is the _Endar Spire_. The ship that Fox told us about, and, I believe, the one from your dream," she explained. Tails nodded. Sonic yelled for them from another room. They walked into what looked like some sort of office. There, set into the wall, was some sort of safe, with an electronic lock.

"There it is. Good luck trying to open it," Rouge said. Krystal pulled out her staff and tried to use it as a lever, without any luck. Sonic tried kicking it, with similar results.

"This panel is still receiving power," Tails said after examining the lock, "But there isn't a spot for a key."

"Maybe it either requires a passcode, or a DNA scan," Krystal said.

"If that's true, there's no way this thing's opening up," Tails said. Without thinking, he put his hand on the panel to support himself. The panel lit up, and scanned his hand. A green light came on, and the safe opened.

"Way to go Tails!" Sonic exclaimed. Tails removed his hand from the panel like it was a hot burner. Inside the safe were some disks, a picture, and two crystals.

"Come to mama," Rouge said, reaching for the crystals. She was too late, Krystal grabbed them first.

"Hey! I saw those first!" Rouge objected.

"I don't think so," Krystal said, pocketing the gems. Tails picked up the picture. It showed a young fox with a family. He guessed that this was a picture of Captain Prower as a child with her family. He handed it to Krystal, and grabbed the disks.

"We should head back, maybe Fox can find out what's on these disks," Tails suggested. Before anyone could say anything, there was a loud crash. Everyone ran outside in time to see a black blur trashing more advanced robots. The last robot fell, and a black hedgehog stood on top of it's broken body.

"What's up, Shadow," Sonic said with a smile.

"Not you again," the black hedgehog said, shaking his head.

"Before you two start something, let's head back to Krystal's fighter," Tails said.

Dr. Eggman reviewed the data from a battle between his robots and the alien robots.

"So, these robots think they can defeat me," he said to himself. Eggman looked over the plans for his latest creation. One of the consoles beeped. A transmission had been intercepted. Eggman looked over the text message. Now, this enemy had a name, Metarex.

He smiled, then set to work on his newest weapon.

Something was going on, and he didn't like surprises. Knuckles the Echidna looked back at the Master Emerald. Suddenly, a large explosion rocked the shrine. Knuckles picked himself up off of the ground, and saw two robots.

"So, you want to rumble, in my jungle? Bring it on," he said, and charged at the robots. After a few minutes, the robots were scrap. He wondered what was going on, then decided to find Sonic.

Fox leaned back against the fuselage of Krystal's Arwing. Amy was pacing, worried that something happened to Sonic.

_Snap!_

Fox drew his blaster, then saw a group emerge from the Jungle. It was Krystal's group, with two more figures. He holstered the blaster.

"Who are they?" he asked. Rouge introduced herself, and Sonic introduced Shadow. After Fox introduced himself, Krystal handed him the gems and the disks.

"I can get ROB to decode the disks, and Slippy might be able to tell us about these crystals," he said finally.

Before he could say anything else, a red, thing, slammed into the Arwing.

"You wanna play rough, huh!" it said, then charged back into the bushes, only to be launched back into he Arwing. A large robot stepped out from the bushes.

"Nice to see you again, Knuckles," Sonic said to the now identifiable red echidna. The robot charged the group, grabbed Krystal by the throat, and lifted her off the ground.

"Where are the Krazoa!" it demanded.

"Put her down!" Fox challenged.

The robot turned to face him, and dropped the vixen. Knuckles got to his feet, and Sonic had to hold him back. Fox fingered his blaster.

"No one shall stand in the way of the Metarex!" it declared. Krystal pulled out her staff, extended it, and knocked the robot's feet out from under it. Fox drew his blaster, and jumped on top of it.

"Why are you here?" Fox demanded. The robot knocked him off and got to its feet. Sonic ran around it in one direction, and Shadow the other. The robot, clearly confused, tried to shoot one of the hedgehogs, but hit empty air. Fox got up, aimed, and fired. Bolts of sapphire fury slammed into the chest plate, leaving smoking holes and damaged machinery. The two hedgehogs stopped running laps, and slammed into it. The robot stumbled. Fox dodged a wild shot, and fired again. The blaster bolt slammed into the head, and the robot fell.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

New Threat

"Who are these guys?" Sonic asked.

"I don't know, but we'd better get Krystal's Arwing powered up," Fox said, then turned to Tails.

"Amy told me about the Chaos Emeralds, and she thinks you could use one to jump start the Arwing."

Tails thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers.

"I've got one in the _Tornado!_ I might be able to jury rig something that will transfer power into the fighter!" he said, sounding excited.

"The sooner we get started, the better! Let's get to work," Sonic said, giving a thumbs up.

"He did WHAT!"

Falco couldn't believe what he heard. Slippy just leaned back in the chair as Peppy explained again.

"Fox decided to go through the gate to find Krystal," he said.

"Of all the stupid, insane, messed up…" Falco was cut off.

"When were you gonna tell us about the alien ship?" Slippy asked.

"As soon as Falco cools off," Peppy said, looking at the steamed Avian.

Slippy thought for a moment, then brought up an image on the screen.

"The _Great Fox_ can fit through the gate," he finally said.

"Fox could use all the help he can get," Peppy said, "And we could hide the ship behind the moon."

Tails got right to work. After using Fox's Arwing to tow Krystal's to the workshop, he dove in. Meanwhile, Sonic was outside in a lounge chair wearing shades, drinking lemonade.

"What are you doing?" Shadow asked.

"Relaxing," Sonic said, taking a sip.

"Whatever," Shadow said, shaking his head.

Knuckles came out the door, set up a chair, and sat down. Shadow looked at him.

"I don't know about Sonic, but I'm keeping an eye out for trouble," he explained. Shadow shook his head again, then walked over to the cliff. For several minutes, he just stood there.

Back in the workshop, Tails was knee deep in parts. He had removed a glowing, yellow gem.

"That is a Chaos Emerald?" Fox asked, indicating the large gem. Tails nodded. He then inserted the gem into a box, and connected a cable to the disabled Arwing.

"Alright, Fox. When I give the signal, hit the switch," he said, climbing into the cockpit. Fox walked over to the box, and got ready to push the button.

"All set, hit it!"

Fox pushed the button. The gem glowed even brighter. In the cockpit, Tails checked the power transfer. Suddenly, the Arwing's systems came on line.

"Cut the power!"

Fox hit the button. The Arwing's systems remained active even with the power cut.

"It worked!" Tails exclaimed, jumping out of the fighter.

Before Fox could say anything, his commlink came to life.

"Fox, this is Slippy. You need a hand?"

"Good to here your voice, Slippy. I take it you came through the gate?"

"You got it, Fox. We're hiding behind the moon."

"Got it. Fox out," he signed off. Tails looked up at him, smiling.

"You go ahead and get information on these things, I'll go tell Krystal that her Arwing's fixed," he said. Fox nodded.

"Don't forget to tell her that the _Great Fox_ came as well," he told him. Tails gave a thumbs up, then left to find Krystal.

Eggman observed the alien ship. He stroked his moustache. The Egg Fleet was prepped and ready.

"Heh. If these aliens try anything funny, my fleet will destroy them," he said to himself. He decided to deploy a couple ships to determine their intentions. He just hoped his robots wouldn't screw up again.

Krystal was sparring with Amy. She was amazed at how well the small hedgehog could defend herself. Amy blocked attacks with her hammer, then tried to attack herself. Krystal easily blocked each attempt.

Tails came in just in time to see her trip Amy with her staff.

"IS this a bad time?" he asked.

"No, we were just practicing," Krystal said, helping Amy to her feet.

"I got some good news. Amy's idea worked! Your Arwing is ready to fly!" Tails said with a smile.

"So using a Chaos Emerald to jump start it worked?" Amy asked.

Tails nodded. He then snapped his fingers.

"I almost forgot. Fox said that the _Great Fox_ came through the gate."

"I should have known," she said, "It was probably Falco's idea."

"Fox was talking to someone named Slippy," Tails said.

"You'd like Slippy, he's our mechanic," Krystal said.

Suddenly, Fox burst through the door.

"Krystal, we've got trouble!" he yelled. Krystal looked over at Fox with a troubled expression. She knew.

"What's going on?" Tails asked. Fox looked down at the younger pilot.

"The alien ship has entered the atmosphere, and attacked a squadron of local fighters, and destroyed two cruisers with unusual markings," he explained.

"We'd better get Sonic."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Night at Tails'

"Watch your back, Delta Three!"

G.U.N. squadron Delta was engaged with a large, unidentified alien vessel. Rattler banked his F-14 Tomcat to avoid another volley from the intruder.

"I'm hit! Can't stabilize… Punching out!"

He winced as he watched his wingman eject from his plane.

"Command, Delta One. Requesting reinforcements!" Rattler called out over the radio. All he got was static.

"They're jamming us," Angel said from behind him. Rattler looked over his shoulder at his co-pilot. She was busy fighting the jamming signal.

"Hold on to your butts!" he called back to her. Banking his Tomcat, he lined up on the intruder, and fired off a burst of his Fifty Cal.

Suddenly, several explosions raked across the hull. He pulled back on the stick. He saw three craft joining the battle. Two of the craft were unlike any he had ever seen. The third was a blue biplane.

"The _Tornado!"_ Angel said from her seat.

"Every little bit helps," Rattler called back to her. Suddenly, the radio came to life with an unfamiliar voice.

"This is Fox McCloud of the Star Fox team. You guys need a hand?"

"'Bout time someone showed up. Don't know how much longer we could hold out," he replied.

Tails checked the weapons. Cannon's, loaded. Missiles, armed. Ring launcher, ready.

"Let's do this!" Sonic called out from behind him. The Arwings had already begun attack runs on the large ship. Seeing the F-14 Tomcats and the Arwings together made the _Tornado_ look woefully out of place, but Tails knew the capabilities of his plane.

Diving at the ship, Tails cut loose with full auto fire from his twin cannons. The energy-shrouded rounds slammed into the hull, leaving damage in their wake.

Before they could attack again, the massive ship escaped back into orbit. The Tomcats returned to a nearby base, battered, but not beaten. Tails waved at the departing fighters, then brought the _Tornado_ around to head back to the workshop.

Tails hopped out of the cockpit. He watched as the two Arwings set down on the ground.

"If we have to fight that thing again, we should do it in space," Fox said, climbing out of his cockpit. Tails looked back at the _Tornado_, knowing that there was no way it could fly in space.

"At least we'll have the rest of the team there to help us," Krystal said.

"It will take too long for me to modify the _Tornado_ for space flight," Tails shook his head. Krystal looked at Fox.

"Don't we have a spare Arwing back on the _Great Fox?"_ she asked. Fox thought about that for a moment.

"Well, Tails is a good pilot," he said, "but I'm not sure how he'll handle an Arwing."

"Why don't you let me try," Tails said, arms crossed over his chest. Sonic shook his head, smiling.

"I wouldn't count Tails out if I were you," he said.

Fox looked over at the blue hedgehog, and nodded.

"Alright. Just one problem, how is Tails getting to the _Great Fox?"_

"I'll take him," Krystal volunteered.

"You got enough room in your Arwing?" Fox asked. Krystal smiled. It was starting to get dark.

"I guess we'll worry about that tomorrow," he said, "Hey Krystal, can I take a look at the stuff we found?"

After several hours of study, Tails fell asleep at the table. The two crystals resting against a book. They began to glow softly.

Tails was dreaming again, but something was different. He stood on a beautiful sandy beach, with blue water lazily going out and coming back with each wave. He looked up, and saw rings crossing the sky.

"Where am I?" he asked out loud to himself.

"Fortuna."

Tails whirled around, and saw Captain Alexa Prower standing a few yards away, admiring the same view. She looked at him with curiosity.

"Who are you?" she asked.

Tails blinked. This was something he didn't expect.

"I'm Tails."

She looked at him dumbfounded. He sighed, and decided to tell her his real name.

"My real name's Miles," he paused, then finished, "Prower."

"Miles… Prower?" she asked. Tails nodded. Alexa sat down in the sand, trying to comprehend what he just said. He walked over and sat next to her. A cool ocean breeze washed over them. Alexa seemed to relax a little, watching the water.

"Well, you look like a Prower," she finally said. Tails smiled, then told her about the wreak of the _Endar Spire_, and finding the items in the safe. Alexa listened intently to everything he said.

"We must be related, if you were able to open the safe," she said.

"I still don't know what's going on. I fell asleep at a table back on Earth," Tails said, confused. Alexa thought about that for a moment.

"Maybe it has something to do with those two crystals. I fell asleep in my quarters on the_ Spire_," she said. Tails looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

Alexa explained that the crystals were found in an asteroid field that was once a planet. She figured that the civilization was primitive, but didn't know what caused their world's destruction.

"So, the crystals are reacting to something, allowing us to talk, despite the fact that we're in different times?" Tails asked. Alexa shrugged, then saw that he had two tails.

"Is that why people call you 'Tails'?" she asked.

Before he could answer, something walked by. It was small, round, and pink. It stopped in front of them, and turned.

"Hi," it said, then walked off.

"There's something you don't see everyday," they both said. They looked at each other, and laughed.

"What do we do now?"

Krystal's question hung in the air. Fox watched as Sonic started pacing again.

"We take out these intruders," Shadow's voice rang out, breaking the silence. Everyone turned to face the black hedgehog.

"How do you plan on doing that, Shadow?" Rouge asked, hands on her hips.

"Just get us on board, we'll take it from there," Knuckles said.

"We," Shadow eyed the echidna.

"You can't do it alone, Shadow. We'll help you," Sonic said. Amy ran over to Sonic's side, and grabbed his hand.

"Sonic, no."

Krystal put a hand on Amy's shoulder. She looked up into her eyes, then let go of Sonic's hand. Sonic grabbed her arm, pulled her close, and hugged her.

"I'll be fine, Amy," he said, "I'm the world's fastest hedgehog. What could happen?"

Shadow shook his head, not caring about relationships. He opened the door, and walked outside. Fox saw him leave, and followed him. He found Shadow standing by the cliff, looking out across the sea.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Shadow looked over his shoulder.

"You lost someone, haven't you?"

"A long time ago."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No."

Fox looked up at the sky. The stars glowed brightly.

"I lost my father years ago. He was leader of the team back then. At the time, the Star Fox team was fighting Andross. Peppy told me what happened. A pilot named Pigma had been working for Andross the whole time, and betrayed my father, at the battle of Venom. It was hard for me, especially with having to take over leadership of the team. One thing that helped was having my friends there with me."

Shadow looked back out over the horizon. Fox turned to leave.

"Her name was Maria."

Fox stopped and turned to face him.

"She was the closest thing to family that I ever had. I tried to protect her, but in the end, she gave her life to save me," Shadow said. His eyes were closed.

"I didn't know…" Fox started.

"Amy reminded me of my promise to Maria, and I will keep that promise," Shadow finally said, opening his eyes.

Fox walked back to Shadow, and put a hand on his shoulder. He expected Shadow to push his hand off, not accepting the support Fox offered. Instead, Shadow just looked up into Fox's eyes.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," Fox said, smiling.

Sonic poked his head into Tails' room. Tails was sound asleep at the table. He smiled, then closed the door. After a while, Sonic decided to go out for a walk. He was out by the Mystic Ruins when a familiar voice came from behind him.

"You shouldn't be out so late. You never know who's out in the dark."

Sonic whirled around, and saw Dr. Eggman leaning against a temple wall.

"What do you want, Egg-butt," Sonic challenged.

"I'm not here to fight you, Sonic," he said, holding up a hand. Sonic narrowed his eyes.

"So, the talking egg wants to talk," he taunted.

"We have a common enemy, the Metarex. I may have some information that could help you in the coming battle," Eggman said, holding up a disk. Sonic eyed him, thinking that it could be a trap. He may have worked with the deranged scientist a couple of times, when the fate of the planet was at stake, but he still didn't trust him as far as he could throw him.

"How do I know I can trust you," Sonic said, glairing at Eggman.

"You don't," Eggman said, "but I am offering my help."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Unlikely Ally

Tails woke up. He was still a little confused about the events of the previous night. Getting out of the chair, he stretched, thinking that he'd better get something to eat. He opened the door, and made his way to the kitchen. Tails wasn't surprised to find the fridge raided. No doubt his guests had been looking for food. Not a coffee drinker, Tails made himself some hot chocolate.

Someone walked into the kitchen. Tails turned to see who it was, and smiled.

"Morning, Knuckles."

The red echidna looked tired. He looked over at the young fox and nodded.

"Hey, Tails," Knuckles said, reaching for the bread.

Before Tails could say anything, there was a shout of alarm. Both Tails and Knuckles bolted for the door.

Once outside, Tails skidded to a halt. There was Dr. Eggman, flat on his face. Standing over him was a very pissed off pink hedgehog with a big hammer.

"WHERE IS SONIC! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!" Amy demanded. Eggman turned over, and brought an arm up to shield his face.

"I didn't do anything! I came to help!" Eggman pleaded. Tails smiled, thinking that Amy was going to make an omelet out of Eggman. Everyone else just watched, either hoping that Amy would wallop him, or wanting to plaster him themselves.

Fox and Krystal looked at Eggman, and knew why he was called that.

Amy brought the hammer down. It did not connect. A hand reached out, and grabbed the handle. Amy followed the arm back to its owner.

"Sonic!" she yelled, and threw her arms around him.

"Uh Amy, can't breath," Sonic gasped.

Still on the ground, Eggman breathed a sigh of relief. Amy let go of Sonic, then glared at Eggman.

"Like I was trying to say," Eggman said, getting up off the ground, "I'm here to help."

Tails regarded the mustached doctor with suspicion.

"How?" Fox asked, fingering his blaster. Eggman turned to face him.

"I have discovered a weakness in the design of the Metarex ship," he said.

"Metarex?" Krystal asked, not knowing where the name came from.

"That is their name," Eggman explained, then handed Fox the disk.

"Didn't that robot we met earlier say something about the Metarex?" Sonic pointed out. Fox nodded. Tails saw the look on Eggman's face, even with the seemingly glued on glasses on his face.

"Anything else you wanna say?" he asked.

"I believe my latest creation can eliminate the threat from the Metarex ship," Eggman said with a smile. Fox looked at Krystal, then Tails.

"Let's see this thing."

the Metarex commander observed the backwater planet. Unlike the rest of the crew, the commander was not a machine, despite her outward appearance. If there was one thing she admired about animals, it was the various forms they can take. Unlike others of her kind, her armor was slender, and added an appearance similar to that of an animal female. She found that many males would hesitate upon seeing her, giving her the chance to strike first. Soon, this world would suffer the wrath of Crimson Death.

An hour after Eggman offered his help, and got a whupping from Amy, everyone gathered around a mysterious object inside Eggman's base.

"Behold my latest creation, the Egg Bomb!"

Eggman removed the blanket, and revealed a not-so-impressive looking device.

"That's it?" Tails asked, trying not to laugh. Sonic burst out laughing, and was on the floor.

"Egg…bomb?" Fox said, looking confused.

"I designed it like this on purpose. I originally planned to conquer the world with it, but stopping the Metarex is more important," Eggman said.

"Egg…bomb," Fox said again, shaking his head, "Ok."

As usual, Shadow was not impressed. Knuckles put a hand on his face, Rouge had a smirk on her face, and Amy tried to hide a smile. Krystal looked at the innocuous object.

"It's a weapon of mass destruction," she said.

"How did you know?" Eggman asked.

"From what I heard about you, it doesn't take a telepath to figure that out," she explained.

Eggman had a blank look on his face. Fox decided to get back to the real issue.

"How do we use it to stop the Metarex?"

Eggman shook his head, then started stroking his mustache.

"Er hem, as the Egg Bomb is only a prototype, we will need to place it in just the right spot to achieve the desired effect," he explained.

"Maybe we should just give you some beans. Now THAT'S a WMD!" Sonic wisecracked.

Ignoring the jab, Eggman continued, "We will need to board the ship, then place the Egg Bomb near their power core. The explosion should cause a chain reaction that will destroy the ship. Am I a genius or what?"

"No, just crazy," Amy said, arms crossed over her chest.

"Look, we've got a weapon, now how are we gonna use it? The Metarex are in orbit," Shadow said before Eggman could respond. Everyone must have been thinking the same thing, because they all turned to face Eggman.

"So, Chubby. You got a ship stashed somewhere?" sonic asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Eggman said with an evil grin.

"Alright, before Dr. Eggman gets any evil ideas, Krystal, take Tails to the _Great Fox._ The rest of us will meet you there," Fox said.

"Got it. See you later Fox. Lets go Tails," Krystal said with a nod.

"Right behind you," Tails said, following the departing blue vixen.

Eggman motioned for the remaining group members to follow him. Sonic expected to see an egg shaped hunk of junk as they walked down the hall.

The group entered a large hanger, and Sonic's jaw dropped. Instead of the expected egg ship, he saw the gleaming white hull of an American built space shuttle.

"I take it that isn't one of yours, doctor," Fox said dryly.

Eggman gulped.

"I…um…borrowed it," he stuttered.

"Right," Rouge said, "We all believe you."

Fox rolled his eyes.

There was just enough room for Tails to squeeze himself into behind Krystal's seat. He could still see the controls, and watched as Krystal powered up the Arwing. She closed the canopy, and the fighter lifted off the ground. Tails was amazed at how quickly the Arwing was ascending. After several minutes, they left the atmosphere.

"There's Space Colony ARK!" Tails exclaimed, looking at the large station.

"So that's the ARK. Sonic told me about a big battle that took place there," Krystal said with a smile.

"If it weren't for Sonic and Shadow, the ARK would have been pulled down to Earth by the Biolizard. Afterwards, I managed to redirect the energy stored in the Eclipse Cannon to other systems," Tails explained. They were already half way to the moon. Tails was amazed again at how advanced Cornerian technology was.

"So, where we going again?" he asked.

Krystal looked back at him with a smile.

"Officially, she's known as the _Great Fox II_, but we usually leave out the two."

Tails decided not to ask about the name, and just watched as the moon got bigger as they approached.

"There she is," Krystal said after several minutes. They were approaching a large spaceship with two sets of wings set in an X, large ventral mounted cannons, and a long neck. The _Great Fox II_ looked formidable.

"This is Krystal, I'm coming in."

An unfamiliar voice responded over the channel.

"Glad to here from you, Krystal. Where's our furball of a leader?"

"He's escorting another ship. They should bee here soon," Krystal explained.

"You're clear to land. See you on the flight deck."

"See you soon, Falco."

She looked back at Tails, and smiled.

"Lets go surprise Falco," she said.

"Sounds like fun. Lets go!" Tails said with a grin.

Falco watched as Krystal's Arwing came to rest on the deck. Peppy and Slippy waited next to him, anxious to see their lost friend. The canopy opened, and out popped a short, yellow vulpine wearing red and white sneakers. Falco had a blank look on his face, while Slippy walked over to the fox.

"Hi guys," the fox said.

Slippy noticed that their visitor had two tails.

"Who the heck are you, and where the heck is Krystal?" Falco asked, inching closer. The next thing he knew, he was flat on his face. Peppy was shaking his head. Falco pushed himself up off the deck, and came eye to eye with a familiar blue vixen.

"I'm gonna get you for that, Krystal," Falco growled.

"Nice to see you too, Falco," Krystal said with a smile.

"So who's our new friend?" Slippy asked.

"Miles Prower, nice to meet you," the fox said.

"Prower? You're not related to Alexa Prower, by any chance?" Slippy said.

"He prefers the name 'Tails'," Krystal mentioned.

"Long story… about Captain Prower, I mean," Tails said. Slippy walked over and put a hand on Falco's shoulder.

"I'm sure Fox will explain when he gets here," he said.

"Fox McCloud on final approach. He is escorting another ship," ROB reported over the intercom. Krystal smiled.

"If you like Tails, you'll love the others," she said.

"Others?" Falco said, looking confused.

Fox's Arwing and a large, white ship set down on the deck.

"You'll see."

The Arwing cockpit opened, and Fox jumped to the deck. Forgetting what Krystal said, Falco approached the vulpine.

"Well it's about time you got back, furball," Falco said.

"I stopped to pick daisies by the latrine. What do you think, I've been busy," Fox said with a smile.

The hatch on the shuttle opened, and a tall, fat person wearing a red coat stepped out onto the deck. Falco, Slippy, and Peppy eyed the mustached man.

"Greetings. My name is Dr. Eggman…"

"Like we care about you, Egg butt."

Falco looked passed Eggman, and saw a blue hedgehog walking down the ramp.

"You're lucky we have a truce, otherwise…"  
"Please, letting Knuckles pilot the shuttle is more dangerous than you'll ever be," the blue hedgehog said with a smirk.

"Sonic!" Tails yelled, and ran over to the hedgehog.

"Hey buddy, you survived your trip with Krystal?" he said.

"It was great!" Tails exclaimed. The rest of the party walked out onto the deck. After introductions were complete, it was strait to business.

Crimson Death looked at the image again. The fighter was not of Krazoan design, and the transport was native to this world. She tapped her armored finger on the console, thinking that something wasn't right.

"My lady, we have identified the technology in the fighter," a technician reported.

"whose is it?" she asked, leaning back.

"The energy signature matches that of a Cornerian ship that was encountered in sector twenty-seven."

"Cornerian? What are Cornerian animals doing here?" she asked no one in particular. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed the tech, and wondered if there was a connection between the Krazoan technology and the appearance of a Cornerian ship.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Preparation

"You sure this plan will work?" Falco asked as he put his feet up on the table. The conference room, as he kept pointing out, had always been too big for the five members of the team and the robot. At least there was a seat for everyone.

"The Egg Bomb should cause a chain reaction, destroying the Metarex ship," Eggman said.

"I've looked over the device," Slippy said, "Its primary use is disabling electronic equipment with a massive EM Pulse. However, it does pack one heck of an explosive punch."

"They will try to prevent us from getting on their ship," Shadow said, arms crossed over his chest. He was staring out the viewport at the stars.

"That's where we come in," Fox told the group, "The Star Fox team will provide fighter support for the boarding operation."

"I'll be out there too," Tails said. Rouge leaned back in her chair.

"So, who's going to set the bomb?" she asked, waving a hand at the group.

"I will," Shadow turned from the viewport.

"I'll watch your back," Knuckles said.

"Me too," Sonic said with a smile.

"You're not leaving me behind," Amy said, looking directly at Sonic.

"You're all crazy," Rouge said, then shrugged. "But it's my kind of crazy. I'm in."

"I'll stay here and keep an eye on Dr. Eggman," Peppy said, which made Fox smile.

"Alright, now that we know who's going, how are we getting there?" Sonic asked. Everyone looked at the blue hedgehog, obviously thinking the same thing.

"We have a prototype hull breaching pod on loan from the Cornerian Military for testing. I think it will be perfect for this," Slippy said.

"Prep it for launch, and load the bomb," Fox said, nodding at the amphibian mechanic. Then he turned towards Falco and Krystal.

"Krystal, Falco, I want the two of you to bring Tails up to speed on the Arwing. If he wants to help out there, he needs to know how to fly one."

"Got it, Fox," Krystal said with a smile.

"Great, just what we need, another furball," Falco said sarcastically.

"We don't have much time to prepare, so let's get to it."

Fifteen minutes after Fox dismissed everyone, Amy found Sonic staring out a viewport at Earth.

"You alright Sonic?" she asked.

"Amy, what's up?" Sonic asked, dodging her question.

"Something's bothering you," Amy said, crossing her arms.

Sonic sighed.

"It's Tails," he finally said, "Until now, I didn't have any time to think about it…"

"You're worried that everyone will see Tails differently now that we know he's Cornerian, right?" Amy finished. Sonic nodded. She put a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"Don't worry about it Sonic. It doesn't matter if he's Cornerian, he is still Tails. It's not like he'll grow antennae or something."

"I guess you're right," Sonic said with a smile, "Thanks, Amy."

"Oh, before I forget, Tails wanted you to hang on to this, for luck," Amy said, and handed him one of the crystals they found in the _Endar Spire_.

"We'll need all the luck we can get," he said.

The simulated cockpit lit up with yet another explosion, and a fresh wave of incomprehensible words came over the open comm channel. Tails just waited for his opponent to respawn.

"That makes it Tails five, Falco zero. You're losing your edge Falco," Krystal stated over the channel.

"That's about to change," Falco muttered. Tails watched as Falco's fighter respawned, and quickly banked his fighter to engage. Before the Avian could react, Tails was already on his tail. Drawing upon his vast piloting experience, Tails kept Falco in his sights. After several quick bursts of simulated emerald fury slamming into the Arwing's rear, he was rewarded with another round of Falco complaining about being waxed by a kid.

"I thought you were the ace pilot?" Tails asked sarcastically. Falco just started muttering to himself.

The match ended, and the cockpit opened. The simulator was a recent addition to the _Great Fox_, according to Slippy.

"I can see you're a natural," Krystal said with a smile. Tails hopped out of the cockpit.

"I'm also a quick learner," he said.

Falco climbed out of the rig next to the one Tails was in, still muttering about being beaten by a kid.

Fox walked in eager to hear the results.

"So, how did it…"

"Don't ask," Falco cut him off, and stalked out of the room.

"What's eating him?" Fox asked, clearly confused.

"Tails… um… beat the feathers off Falco," Krystal said smiling.

"How bad?"

"Six-zero Tails."

Fox's jaw hit the deck. He couldn't believe his ears. Falco, the team's ace pilot, had been beaten not once, but six times. And by a kid. Talk about adding insult to injury. Then again, he saw how the kid handled the _Tornado_.

"I guess I got lucky," Tails said, sounding modest.

"You're a skilled pilot, Tails. The Metarex won't know what hit them," Fox said with a smile.

"Neither did Falco," Krystal joked. The guys looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

After several minutes of wandering aimlessly, Shadow found himself in the atrium. The sight of actual plants and the sound of water seemed out of place on a space ship, but it was somehow relaxing. He closed his eyes, and just listened to the water flowing over rocks.

"Would you like some company?"

Shadow opened his eyes, and turned to see Rouge standing next to him.

"Couldn't bother anyone else?" Shadow asked sarcastically.

"Sonic's with Amy, probably trying to talk each other out of going, Tails is with Krystal, Knuckles is being stubborn, and Eggman's being his usual _charming_ self," Rouge said. She leaned against the rail, watching the artificial stream feeding into the pond.

"How long until we attack?" Shadow asked. Rouge shrugged.

"So… you wanna talk?"

"No."

Rouge shook her head and smiled. If he wanted peace and quiet, that's fine by her. Besides, it's not often you get a break.

Something was about to happen. She didn't know what, but she knew. Among the Metarex commanders, Crimson Death was known for her ability to sense trouble a mile away. She tapped her armored fingers together, a nervous habit that annoyed the other commanders, especially Dark Oak.

The possibility of engaging the Krazoa after thousands of years appealed to her, but the presence of a Cornerian fighter made her doubt that the Krazoa were here.

Still…

"Commander," a flat, robotic voice broke her train of thought.

"This had better be good," she snarled.

"We have detected a ship in orbit of the nearby moon. It appears to be Cornerian."

She stood up, and with a grace not seen in other Metarex, she made her way to the bridge.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Call to Arms

It was time. Tails could feel it. Fox had called for everyone to come to the flight deck, and Slippy was prepping the Arwings for launch.

Sonic was the first to arrive, with Amy on his heels. Next came Knuckles, then Shadow and Rouge.

"Well, the gang's all here," Sonic said.

Eggman just stood there, stroking his moustache.

"Let's go over the plan," Fox said. Everyone turned to face him. Tails jumped up onto the wing of a nearby Arwing for a better seat.

"Alright, the Star Fox team will distract the Metarex while the breach pod approaches. If they launch fighters, Krystal and Slippy will provide cover for the pod."

"Got it," Slippy said.

"Sounds good to me," Krystal said with a nod.

Fox continued, "Once the pod has latched on, it will be up to the strike team to locate the main reactor. Once there…"

"I will set the bomb," Shadow said.

"Lets get this party started already," Knuckles said, eager to kick some butt.

Fox walked over to a weapon's locker and opened it. Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, and Rouge declined, stating that they didn't need a weapon. Only Shadow accepted one, taking a blaster. Fox closed the locker, and handed Amy a med kit.

"You should take this, just in case," he said.

"Good idea," she said, pulling the strap over her shoulder. The med kit hit the deck, and Fox suppressed a laugh, forgetting that the strap was designed for someone taller than the pink hedgehog.

Turning back to face his team mates, Fox decided to assign wing men.

"Ok, after the pod is attached, Falco, you're with Slippy," he said. Falco and Slippy nodded.

"Krystal, you're with Tails," he said, turning to face the blue vixen.

"Sounds like fun," she said, smiling at Tails.

"Let's do this," Falco said. Everyone ran to their ships. Tails caught up with Sonic in front of the pod.

"Sonic, hold up a sec!"

"Hey Tails."

"I just wanted to say good luck," Tails said.

"Thanks Tails, you too," Sonic said with a smile.

Five Arwings darted out from the _Great Fox II_, followed by a bulky looking hull breaching pod.

"Well, here we go," Rouge said from the pilot's seat. Everyone agreed that having the bat fly might be safer, much to the annoyance of a certain echidna. Amy adjusted the strap on the Cornerian med kit, shortening it so that it wouldn't be dragging on the floor.

"At least we're ready for anything," Sonic pointed out, nodding at the med kit.

"Yea. I hope we don't have to use it," Amy said.

Suddenly, the space in front of the pod lit up with deadly energy. The Arwings easily avoided each volley. Rouge had to bank the pod several times to avoid getting hit, and each time, Sonic was thrown around like a rag doll.

"They should've added more seat belts," he said after latching onto a nearby pole.

"Hang on!" Rouge called back, then banked again. The pod swung around, and attached itself to the hull of the Metarex ship. Everyone released their safety belts, except for Sonic, who left dents where his fingers had been.

"Everybody ready?" Knuckles asked.

Without waiting for a response, he hit the switch. The plasma torches started to cut through the hull of the Metarex ship. Everyone tensed up, expecting a firefight when the hatch opened. The torches finished, and the hatch opened.

"Um, I'm no expert on hull breaching pods, but aren't they supposed to, you know, _breach_ the hull," Sonic said. Instead of the interior of the ship, they saw a portion of the hull.

"Maybe it just needs a good punch," Knuckles said. He then punched the hull with everything he had.

The sound of the impact reverberated inside the pod. Knuckles reeled back, nursing more than just a bruised ego. Amy shook her head.

"Move over, Knuckles," she said.

The echidna stepped back, still shaking his hand. Amy extended her hand, and her Piko Piko hammer appeared. She then grasped it in both hands, then prepared to take a major league swing.

"Hieeya!"

The hammer connected. And the piece of hull went flying, and slammed into a nearby bulkhead.

"Remind me to never get on her bad side," Knuckles said to Sonic. He just shrugged, and followed Amy through the hole she made.

Tails pulled back on the stick, narrowly avoiding another volley of amber death.

"Either these guys don't believe in fighters, or they don't have any," Falco's voice came over the comm.

Coming around, Tails dove at the Metarex ship. With his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth, he pulled the trigger. Bolts of emerald fury leapt from the Arwing's cannons, and slammed into the hull. Explosions racked across the hull as Tails strafed the Metarex ship.

"Krystal, Tails, this is Fox. See if you can do something about their engines."

"Got it," Krystal responded. Tails watched Krystal's Arwing as it sped off towards the rear of the ship.

"Right behind ya!" Tails said.

_I hope Sonic's ok._

Another blast hit the corner, sending sparks and pieces flying. Sonic gritted his teeth.

"We're pinned down!" Knuckles said in frustration.

"How many are there?" Sonic asked.

Rouge poked her head out around the corner, and quickly pulled back before a beam of crimson fury could hit her.

"At least three," she said.

Before anyone could say anything, Shadow rolled out into the corridor, and cut loose with his own blaster barrage.

"Not any more," Shadow said, getting back on his feet. Sonic poked his head around the corner. There were three smoking piles of metal where the robots had been.

"Aaahhhh!"

Everyone turned, and saw Amy held in front of a larger robot.

"Move, and the female dies," it said flatly.

"Your funeral," Sonic said with a smirk.

"Let me go!" Amy demanded. The robot was not impressed.

"You got five seconds to let her go," Sonic said.

"Or what, animal," the robot said.

"Four."

The robot stopped listening.

"Three."

Amy struggled in its grip.

"Two."

She extended her hand, and the Piko Piko hammer appeared.

"One."

Amy swung wildly, striking anything in the way. The robot, caught off guard by Amy's sudden declaration of war, lost its grip. She whirled around, and assaulted the robot. After a few minutes, there was nothing left but scrap metal. Sonic picked up what was left of the head.

"Can't say I didn't warn ya," he said, then tossed the piece of junk back into the pile. Amy was still standing over the devastation she had caused, breathing heavily and still holding on to her hammer with both hands.

"We'd better keep moving," Shadow said. Amy relaxed, and picked up the med kit.

"Come on, we gotta move," Knuckles said. The group moved ahead. Sonic hung back with Amy.

"You ok?"

"Yea, I'm fine."

Sonic smiled. He may not like the way she keeps chasing him, and he wouldn't admit it, but he respects her.

"Hey, look!" Amy exclaimed. The others heard her and came running.

"What?" Sonic asked, clearly confused.

"The crystal, it's glowing!"

"We're not causing enough damage!" Krystal's voice was full of frustration.

Tails gritted his teeth.

"That armor around the engines is too strong, we need something with more punch," he said. Something caught his attention in the cockpit. He looked down at his wrist. Before launch, Tails had tied the crystal to his wrist, and now it was glowing softly.

"Incoming!"

The call snapped Tails' attention back to the battle. The Metarex had launched fighters.

"Thanks for the heads up," Tails said, not knowing who warned him.

"What heads up? Who said anything about a… Holy Crap!" Falco exclaimed.

"Looks like they do have fighters," Fox said.

"Where'd they come from?" Slippy asked.

"Beats me, but we still have a job to do," Fox replied.

"Here we go!" Krystal exclaimed, chasing a Metarex fighter.

Tails pulled back on the stick, and came in behind an enemy fighter. The fighter dove towards the hull, then pulled up. Tails matched the maneuver, firing as he went.

"Enemy ship down!" Krystal said triumphantly.

The Metarex fighter exploded, and Tails flew through the blast.

"Got one!" he cried out.

"Great kid," Falco said, "Don't get cocky."

After trying to figure out why the crystal was glowing, and remaining stumped, the strike team continued on.

"Is this it?" Sonic asked as the group entered a large room.

"I think so," Rouge said, gritting her teeth. Sonic remembered that bats have better hearing than humans, or hedgehogs.

Suddenly, a bolt of energy flashed over their heads. The Metarex were out in force. Without thinking, Sonic grabbed Amy, and dove for cover behind a nearby console. Looking back, he saw that Knuckles and Rouge had done the same. There was no sign of Shadow.

"Sonic!" Knuckles shouted over the sound of laser fire, "Where's Shadow?!"

"I don't know!" he replied.

Amy bashed something. Sonic turned to see the remains of a metallic looking spider. Before he could ask, Shadow's blaster skidded to a halt just out of reach.

Knuckles was in hand to hand with another robot, and there was still no sign of Shadow.

The crystal glowed brighter, and Sonic dove for the blaster. He grabbed it, hit the deck, and rolled. Getting back on his feet, he squeezed off a shot. The sapphire bolt slammed into the head of a nearby robot. Sonic turned to face the oncoming spider droids, and with the skill even a G.U.N. Special Forces soldier would envy, he picked them off one after another.

There was a loud crash, and Shadow appeared, standing on top of a wreaked robot.

"I seem to remember you saying that you'd never be 'caught dead with one of those things,'" he said, pointing at the blaster in Sonic's hand.

Sonic blinked, looked at the blaster, and dropped it like it was on fire.

"What happened?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"You don't know?" Knuckles asked.

"Not really. One minute, I'm looking at the blaster on the floor, the next, I'm diving for it. I can't explain how, but I wasn't in control," he tried to explain.

"We can talk about it later. Let's set the bomb and get out of here!" Amy said.

"Commander!"

The metallic voice broke the silence that had descended on the bridge. Crimson Death turned and glared at the perpetrator.

"What is it!" she snarled.

"An explosive device has been set on the main reactor core!"

"I will deal with these animals myself!" she declared, then left the bridge.

Tails shot down yet another enemy ship, then barrel rolled to avoid another.

"This is Sonic, we're on our way back to the pod. This things ready to blow!"

He smiled, thinking that it's almost over.

"Keep up the pressure, Star Fox. We gotta keep these fighters busy until the pod gets back to the _Great Fox_," Fox said.

"Get in!" Rouge shouted.

Everyone dove into the pod. Knuckles slapped the switch, and the hatch closed. Rouge vaulted into the pilot's seat, and started the engines. The pod detached from the hull, and started to pull away.

THUD!

"We're hit! We're hit!" Amy panicked.

"We're not hit! We're not hit! Stop back seat driving!" Rouge shouted over her shoulder.

Krystal watched as the pod broke away from the Metarex ship, and rocketed away.

"This is Rouge, it's gonna blow! Get clear!"

Krystal banked her Arwing, and went full speed. She looked back just in time to see the Metarex ship tear itself apart in a massive fireball.

"Look at it go!" Falco cried out.

"We did it!" Slippy added.

"See ya! Wouldn't wanna be ya!" Tails said.

"Looks like the fighters were taken out in the blast," Fox noted. Krystal muttered something in Saurian.

"You say something, Krystal?" Fox asked.

"It seemed too easy," she said.

"Too easy?!? We get swarmed, and you think it was 'too easy'!?!" Falco exclaimed.

Krystal couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't over yet.

Like a parasite, Crimson Death clung to the hull of the hull breaching pod. These animals may have destroyed her ship, but she would have her revenge. All she had to do was wait.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Showdown

The Arwings set down on the flight deck, followed by the hull breaching pod. Peppy watched as each member of the Star Fox team climbed out of their cockpits. Dr. Eggman stood next to him with his hands behind his back.

Tails hopped down onto the deck, and ran over to Krystal.

"We did it!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around her. Caught off guard, Krystal lost her balance and fell to the deck. Fox smiled, and breathed a sigh of relief.

There was banging coming from the pod. Fox turned just in time to see the hatch, now full of fist and hammer sized dents, fall to the deck.

"Who designed this thing?" Knuckles said, emerging from the pod. The rest of the strike team came out, and Sonic walked over to Fox.

"You might want to get a refund on that thing. There aren't enough seat belts, the cutting things don't cut all the way, and now the door locked us in," Sonic said, hiking a thumb back at the pod.

"I'll look into it," Fox said with a smile.

"Sorry about the door," Knuckles said, lifting the offending chunk of metal. Something caught Fox's attention. The side of the door facing him was damaged. Shadow noticed it as well.

"Those look like claw marks," he said narrowing his eyes. Fox approached the pod, his hand inching closer to the blaster on his hip.

Suddenly, something jumped over the pod, landed in front of Fox, and backhanded him in the face, sending him flying.

Everyone turned in shock as Fox landed hard on the deck.

"Do you animals really think you've won," snarled a decidedly female voice.

"The Metarex Commander!" Eggman said in disbelief.

"The commander huh," Sonic said, "Come and get some!"

Knuckles, being the closest, charged at the commander. She saw him coming, and countered with a right hook. The armored fist connected with the echidna, and sent him flying into a nearby bulkhead. Amy tried next, as the commander found herself being assaulted by a whirling pink dervish with a big hammer. Sonic and Shadow both charged in at full speed, adding to Amy's attack. Rouge flew up overhead, and launched an attack of her own.

Tails started to run to join the fight, but Krystal held him back.

"No! Wait!" she said, grabbing his wrist.

Fox picked himself off the deck, and was immediately knocked over by a flying pink hedgehog.

With a cry filled with rage and hatred, the commander flung her attackers off, sending them flying in all directions.

"FOOLS!" she cried out, "I am Crimson Death! You don't stand a chance!"

Tails saw that her armor was damaged in several places.

_If I could get passed the armor, I might be able to short circuit something important._ He thought. Looking back at Krystal, he saw her staff hanging from her belt. Krystal looked Tails right in the eye. She knew what he was planning. She smiled, and handed him the staff.

"Good luck," she said.

Tails quickly looked over the compact staff, and found the button. He stepped back, and, spinning his two tails, took to the air. He got in position above Crimson Death, and hit the button. The Cerenian staff extended to its full length. Taking a deep breath, Tails struck.

Crimson Death never saw it coming, and was unprepared for an attack from above. The armor shattered where the staff hit. Scrambling to hang on, Tails looked inside. What he saw made him gasp. Instead of the expected machinery and wires, there was a fleshy, green material.

An armored hand reached back, and grabbed Tails.

"Now, you will die!" she snarled.

The staff glowed with energy. Tails gritted his teeth, and swung with everything he had. Crimson Death, not impressed with this act of desperation, made no move to block. The end of the staff hit her in the shoulder, unleashing the stored energy. The shock wave made her lose her grip on the fox. Crimson Death's armor shattered, revealing the creature within.

"It's a plant!?!" Falco exclaimed in disbelief.

"Use the freeze blast!" Krystal shouted.

Tails had no idea how to do that, besides, he was a little busy with a homicidal plant trying to kill him.

Crimson Death had Tails backed into a corner. There was only one way out for the fox, and that was the cold death of space beyond the mag. barrier.

"TAILS!!!" Sonic yelled. He tried to come to the aid of his friend, but was held back by Shadow.

Before the Metarex could move, Tails dove between her legs. Crimson Death turned to face him, her eyes burning with rage. Without thinking, Tails hit the trigger. A cloud of freezing blue energy sprayed out from the tip of the staff, and engulfed the Metarex.

The energy dissipated, revealing a perfectly frozen Crimson Death. Using the staff to propel him, Tails kicked the frozen statue out the air lock, and into deep space.

"It's over," he said quietly.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Party Animals

Two days after the "Battle of Earth", Tails decided to throw a party. Everyone was invited, even Eggman. But the one that surprised him was Shadow, who showed up early. Once everyone arrived, the party got started.

Falco was talking about the space battle, gesturing with his hands to show maneuvers he pulled. Krystal was talking with Amy, about what he didn't know.

"Some party, huh."

Tails turned and saw Sonic, with a couple chili dogs on his plate. He made sure that there would be plenty of them, especially since Sonic was introduced to them a while ago.

"I didn't expect Shadow to even come," Tails said.

"Well, I think he's made a friend," Sonic replied. Tails turned to see what Sonic meant, and saw Shadow talking with Fox.

The sound of laughter got Tails' attention. He looked back at the conversation with Falco, and saw that the Avian was glaring at Krystal, while the others were laughing.

"Krystal must have said something about me beating Falco in the simulator," he said.

"How bad?" Sonic asked.

"Six to zero."

"Six to zero?" Sonic exclaimed, "You really are a great pilot, Tails."

Hearing Sonic say that made Tails blush.

"Thanks, Sonic."

Something caught his attention.

"I'll be right back," he said, then ran off in the direction of the hanger.

"I'm never gonna hear the end of it, am I?" Falco asked, glaring at the blue vixen. Krystal just smiled. Everyone enjoyed hearing how Tails had beaten Falco, the team's ace pilot, six times in a row. Everyone except Falco, of course. She took another sip of her soda. It was an Earth drink Tails had called root beer, and Krystal thought that it was pretty good.

After hearing about what happened on the Metarex ship, she had been thinking about the two crystals they found. Tails' unexplained heads up about the enemy fighters, Sonic wielding a blaster with the skill of a trained soldier, it didn't make sense. Unless…

"It's just a legend."

"What's just a legend?" Amy asked.

Krystal blinked. She wasn't even aware that she had spoken out loud. She looked around for Tails, but couldn't see the young fox.

"You ok Krystal?" Amy asked.

"I just need to talk to Tails," she said, looking down at the shorter hedgehog.

"Something wrong?" Amy asked, sounding concerned.

"I don't think so," Krystal assured her. Closing her eyes, she reached out with her mind, and found Tails. He was headed towards the hanger, not knowing what he saw. Krystal opened her eyes, put her cup on the table, and walked off in the direction of the hanger.

Tails entered the hanger, keeping his eyes open for trouble. He saw someone standing in front of the _Tornado_, admiring the blue biplane.

"Who are you?" Tails demanded, trying to sound tough.

The figure turned, and Tails' eyes went wide. Standing no more than three feet in front of him, in a white dress uniform, was Captain Alexa Prower.

"Tails?" she asked, obviously just as confused as he was.

"How is this possible?" he asked. She shrugged, then looked back at the _Tornado_. Tails walked over to her side. Just to make sure he wasn't seeing things, he poked her arm. To his surprise, her arm felt real, and she reacted by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I haven't seen an aircraft like this before, except in a museum," she said.

"The _Tornado_ may not look like much, but it can take on G.U.N.s best fighters if necessary. And it's more than a match for any of Eggman's robots," he said with a smile.

The hanger door opened, and Captain Prower reached for a blaster out of reflex, but only found her hip. Tails looked over in that direction, and saw Krystal standing dumbfounded at the sight of the Cornerian officer.

"The legend's true," Krystal said to herself. Both Tails and Alexa Prower gave her the same blank look.

"You must be Captain Alexa Prower," she said to the Cornerian.

"And you are?" Alexa asked.

"My name's Krystal," she answered.

Tails noticed that Krystal's attention was suddenly drawn to Alexa's wrists. He was surprised to see the two crystals there, as if they were attached to bracelets.

"Um, what's going on here?" he finally asked. Krystal looked uncomfortable.

"Those two crystals are soulstones. I remember hearing a legend of an ancient race that had the ability to communicate with relatives by means of gems called soulstones. These stones resonate with strong souls, making a copy in the process. It is said that, in a way, the person's soul can live on after that person dies, within a soulstone," Krystal explained.

Alexa looked down at her wrist, and the softly glowing crystal.

"So, I'm only… a copy?" she asked.

"No, your experiences since it happened, whenever and however it did, make you who you are," Tails said, grabbing her arm.

"You're right," she said, "Copy or not, I'm still me."

Tails got an idea, and Krystal sensed it.

"Since you're here now, why not come and join the party. I can introduce you to everyone," he said.

"Sounds like fun," Alexa replied with a smile.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" Eggman's question cut through the air between Fox and Shadow.

"Not really," Fox replied.

"I just wanted to say that I've never seen you so…" Eggman's voice trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"So…what?" Shadow asked, eyeing the mustached doctor.

"Social. Usually you avoid socializing with others," Eggman said, stroking his moustache.

"Maybe he just hadn't found anyone he could talk to," Fox pointed out. He had been thinking about Tails when Shadow had come up to him.

"Who's that?" Shadow asked suddenly.

Fox looked in the direction Shadow indicated, and his jaw hit the floor. Tails and Krystal had come through the door, with a Cornerian officer in full dress uniform. What shocked him the most was that this was Captain Alexa Prower.

Tails jumped up on a chair so that everyone could see him.

"Everyone, we've got a special guest!" he said. Everyone stopped what they were doing, and looked at the two-tailed fox.

"This is Captain Alexa Prower, and yes, we ARE related," he said with a smile. Captain Prower blushed. Fox smiled when he saw Falco's reaction. Tails introduced her to Sonic and the others, then brought her over to meet the rest of the Star Fox team. When he introduced Fox, he saw recognition flash over her face.

"McCloud, are you related to a Rachel McCloud?" she asked.

Fox was caught off guard for a moment.

"She was my grandmother," he finally said. Alexa smiled.

"She and I went to the academy together. Everyone called her 'Heat Seeker' because she was always causing trouble, and she stayed on you like a heat seeking missile in the simulator," she told him.

Fox smiled. He had known that his grandmother had been in the military, but not a pilot. He finally decided that, like Tails, flying was in his blood.

"Everyone gather around," he said. After about a minute, everyone gathered around Fox. He looked out at the faces of his friends and teammates. Falco, Slippy, and Krystal stood together, waiting to hear what he had to say. He also looked at the faces of his new friends. Sonic, Knuckles, Rouge, Shadow, Amy, all eager to listen. Even Dr. Eggman, who Fox still didn't trust as far as he could throw him. Fox's gaze settled of Tails.

"Miles 'Tails' Prower, you have shown great courage in the face of the enemy," Fox said.

"And a mean swing!" Falco wisecracked.

Ignoring the Avian, Fox continued, "It is my pleasure that I make you an honorary member of the Star Fox team."

As he said that, he removed a pin from his vest, and handed it to Tails. Tails looked at the pin. It was a pair of wings with a fox head in the middle.

"All right Tails!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Thanks Fox," Tails said with a smile.

The party ended, and four Arwings took to the air, followed by a blue biplane.

"If you need any help, you can call us," Slippy said.

"I'll want a rematch sometime, so keep flying," Falco added.

"I'll look forward to beating you again, Falco," Tails said with a smile.

Falco started muttering to himself, prompting his teammates to start laughing.

"I'm never gonna hear the end of it," Falco said.

"Especially since we recorded the whole thing," Krystal said.

Tails heard Falco moan, and bang his head against the cockpit canopy of his Arwing. Nope, Falco was gonna have that haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Tails, it was an honor to fight by your side. You are very brave," Fox said, trying not to laugh at Falco's expense.

"Thanks Fox, same to you," Tails said.

"I'm sure we'll meet again," Krystal said warmly.

The Arwings pulled up, and shot out of the atmosphere. Tails watched as they disappeared.

"I know we'll see each other again, someday," he said with a smile. Turning back towards Angel Island, the _Tornado_ flew over a calm blue ocean. For a moment, Tails closed his eyes, and just felt the wind in his face. It was the best feeling in the world, and he wouldn't trade it for anything.


End file.
